Image determining method and object coordinate computing apparatus

ABSTRACT

An image determining method, for determining which pixels in an image are specific image pixels of a specific image, comprising: (a) determining which pixels in the image have brightness values larger than a threshold value; (b) determining the pixels having brightness values larger than the threshold value as the specific image pixels; and determining pixels in a predetermined range of at least one the specific image pixel as the specific image pixels as well.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to an image determining method and an object coordinate computing apparatus, and particularly relates to an image determining method and an object coordinate computing apparatus, which utilize both brightness and conditions besides brightness to determine the predetermined image pixel or the object pixel.

2. Description of the Prior Art

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a prior art image determining method for determining an object coordinate in an image. FIG. 1 is a gray level diagram of an image (i.e. an brightness diagram of an image), which is a 7×8 matrix having 7×8 pixels P₁₁-P₇₈. The image includes a specific image generated by an object (in this example, a light source). Specific image pixels for this specific image have higher brightness values than the pixels surrounding them, for examples, pixels P₁₆, P₂₅, P₂₇, P₃₄, P₃₈, P₄₃, P₄₈, P₅₄, P₅₇ and P₆₅-P₆₇.

One of the methods for determining the specific image pixels is determining the pixels having brightness values higher than a threshold value as specific image pixels. In the example shown in FIG. 1, the threshold value is gray level 100, such that the pixels P₂₆, P₃₅-P₃₇, P₄₄-P₄₇, and P₅₅-P₅₆ will be determined to be specific image pixels. However, the edge pixels for the specific image have lower brightness values, thus such determining method still determines the pixels P₁₆

P₂₅

P₂₇

P₃₄

P₃₈

P₄₃

P₄₈

P₅₄

P₅₇ and P₆₅-P₆₇ to be normal pixels rather than specific image pixels. If the threshold value is adjusted to be lower, such as 80, normal pixels P₇₅ and P₇₆ will be determined to be specific image pixels, but still exclude the pixel P₁₆. Also, the size, location and brightness values of different specific images caused by different objects are all different, thus a most suitable brightness threshold value is hard to select.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

One objective of the present invention is to provide an image determining method utilizing brightness and parameters besides brightness to determine specific image pixels or object pixels, and provides an object coordinate computing apparatus utilizing the image determining method.

One embodiment of the present invention discloses an image determining method, for determining which pixels in an image are specific image pixels of a specific image, comprising: (a) determining which pixels in the image have brightness values larger than a threshold value; (b) determining the pixels having brightness values larger than the threshold value as the specific image pixels; and determining pixels in a predetermined range of at least one the specific image pixel as the specific image pixels as well.

Another embodiment of the present invention discloses an image determining method, for determining which pixels in an image are specific image pixels of a specific image, comprising: (a) scanning pixels of at least one row in an image in turn, and determining which pixels in the row is larger than a threshold value; (b) determining at least one first row specific image pixel, which has a brightness value larger than a threshold value, in a first row to be the specific image pixel, and defines a specific image range according to the first row specific image pixel; and (c) determining a second row specific image pixel inside the range, which is located in the specific image range of a second row after the first row, to be the specific image pixel while scanning the second row.

Still another embodiment of the present invention discloses an object coordinate computing apparatus, comprising: a camera, for catching an image, which is a gray level diagram, for at least one object; a reading circuit, for scanning pixels of at least one row in the image in turn; for recoding brightness values and coordinates for the pixels; for defining an object range according to the brightness values and the coordinates for a first row of the rows; for determining first row object pixels in the object range of the first row to be the object pixels; and for determining a second row specific image pixel inside the range, which is inside the object range of a second row after the first row, to be the object pixel while scanning the second row; wherein the reading circuit utilizes the recorded brightness values and the recorded coordinate to compute a gravity center of the object.

In view of above-mentioned embodiments, the present invention provides an image determining method for determining specific image pixels or object pixels, an object coordinate computing method and an object coordinate computing apparatus, according to brightness and parameters besides brightness. By this way, the prior art issue that only brightness is utilized for determining can be avoided. Besides, different conditions can be set based on different object types and the size for caught images, such that the determining mechanism can be more accurate and can be set unlimitedly. Furthermore, the gravity center of the object can be moved downward if the gravity center is computed according to the image determining mechanism of the present invention. By this way, the gravity center matches the habit for a user while handling a remote controller, such that the displacement detecting can be more accurate.

These and other objectives of the present invention will no doubt become obvious to those of ordinary skill in the art after reading the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment that is illustrated in the various figures and drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a prior art image determining method for determining an object coordinate in an image.

FIG. 2 and FIG. 4 are schematic diagrams illustrating image determining methods according to embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 3 and FIG. 5 are flowcharts illustrating image determining methods according to embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating an object coordinate computing apparatus utilizing the image determining method shown in FIG. 2 to FIG. 5.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Certain terms are used throughout the description and following claims to refer to particular components. As one skilled in the art will appreciate, electronic equipment manufacturers may refer to a component by different names. This document does not intend to distinguish between components that differ in name but not function. In the following description and in the claims, the terms “include” and “comprise” are used in an open-ended fashion, and thus should be interpreted to mean “include, but not limited to . . . ”.

FIG. 2 and FIG. 4 are schematic diagrams illustrating image determining methods according to embodiments of the present invention. FIG. 2 illustrates a first embodiment while FIG. 4 illustrates a second embodiment. For the convenience for explanation, FIG. 2 and FIG. 4 utilizes the gray level diagram which is the same as which in FIG. 1, but it does not mean to limit the image determining method of the present invention is limited to this gray level diagram.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, pixels in the image are determined that if any of them has a brightness value larger than a threshold value, and then the pixels having brightness values larger than the threshold value are determined as the initial specific image pixels. After that, specific image pixels including the initial specific image pixels are determined according to the initial specific image pixels. In this example, the threshold value is determined to be 100 as shown in FIG. 1, thus the pixels P₂₆, P₃₅-P₃₆, P₄₄-P₄₇ and P₅₅-P₆₆ are determined to be the initial specific image pixels. Please note this step can be performed via scanning and determining in turn, but the determining step can be performed after all rows have been scanned. After that, the pixels in a predetermined range of the initial specific image pixels are determined to be specific image pixels. In this embodiment, each initial specific image pixel is utilized as a center of a 3×3 pixel matrix to generate a pixel matrix, which is utilized to define the predetermined range. Also, each pixel in the pixel matrix is determined to be the specific image pixel. For example, the pixel P₄₄ is utilized as a center of the 3×3 pixel matrix, which includes pixels P₃₃-P₃₅, P₄₃-P₄₅, and P₅₃-P₅₅. These pixels are all determined to be specific image pixels. Since pixels P₃₅, P₄₄-P₄₅, and P₅₅ are all determined to be initial specific image pixels in the previous step, thus the step of utilizing the pixel P₄₄ as a center of the pixel matrix adds the pixels P₃₃-P₃₄, P₄₃, and P₅₃-P₅₅ to the group of specific image pixels.

Similarly, if the pixel P55 is utilized as a center of a 3×3 pixel matrix, the pixels P₅₄, and P₆₄-P₆₅ are added to the group of specific image pixels. If the same steps are performed for pixels P₂₆, P₃₅-P₃₆, P₄₄-P₄₇ and P₅₅-P₆₆, pixels P₁₅-P₁₇

P₂₄-P₂₅

P₂₇

P₃₃-P₃₄

P₃₇-P₃₈

P₄₃

P₄₈

P₅₃-P₅₄

P₅₇-P₅₈ and P₆₄-P₆₇ are added to the group of specific image pixels. However, it should be noted that the above-mentioned predetermined range is not limited to a pixel matrix with the same width and length, and is not limited to a pixel matrix as well. This predetermined range can be set according to other parameters, such as an image of the object type that is desired to be determined. Please note the initial specific image pixels and the specific image pixels determined according to the initial specific image pixels are both specific image pixels and have no difference. The reason for giving them different names is to make them more easily to be distinguished such that the concept of the present invention can be depicted for more clearly.

The image determining method shown in FIG. 3 can be acquired according to the first embodiment shown in FIG. 2, which includes the following steps:

Step 301

Determine which pixels in the image have brightness values larger than a threshold value.

Step 303

Determine the pixels having brightness values larger than the threshold value as initial specific image pixels (Such as pixels P₂₆, P₃₅-P₃₆, P₄₄-P₄₇ and P₅₅-P₆₆ in FIG. 2).

Step 305

Determine pixels in a predetermined range of at least one the initial specific image pixel as the specific image pixels as well. In one example, the predetermined range is a 3×3 pixel matrix such that the pixels P₁₅-P₁₇

P₂₄-P₂₅

P₂₇

P₃₃-P₃₄

P₃₇-P₃₈

P₄₃

P₄₈

P₅₃-P₅₄

P₅₇-P₅₈ and P₆₄-P₆₇, which are not initial specific image pixels, are also determined to be specific image pixels.

Other detail steps can be acquired according to the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, thus are omitted for brevity here.

In the second embodiment shown in FIG. 4, pixels of at least one raw in an image are scanned in turn and determined which pixels have brightness values larger than a threshold value. In FIG. 4, the direction for scanning is downward. That is, pixels P₇₁-P₇₈ are scanned first, then the pixels P₆₁-P₆₈ are scanned, then the pixels P₆₁-P₆₈ are scanned . . . and so on. If any one row of the image (the first one row L₁ in this embodiment) is determined to include at lease one pixel having a brightness value larger than a threshold value such as pixels P55, P56 (named first row specific image pixels), the first row specific image pixels are determined as specific image pixels and a specific image range W₁ is defined according to the first row specific image pixels. In one embodiment, the leftmost pixel and the rightmost pixel of the first row specific image pixels are utilized to define edges of the specific image range W₁, but it is not limited. Also, the image pixels in the specific image range W₁ of the next row are all determined to be specific images pixels while scanning the next row. For example, the pixels P₄₅, P₄₆ in the specific image range W₁ of the second row L₂ are determined to be specific images pixels, which are called second row specific image pixels inside the range, while scanning the second row L₂ including pixels P₄₁-P₄₈.

Pixels of the second row outside the specific image range W₁ are also determined to check if they have brightness values larger than the threshold value. If all the brightness values are less than the threshold value, the specific image range W₁ is kept, and the pixels in the specific image range W₁ are determined to be specific image pixels while scanning the rows after the second row. If at least one pixel located outside the specific image range W₁ of the second row, which is named a second row specific image pixel outside the range, has a brightness value larger than the threshold value, the second row specific image pixel outside the range is determined to be a specific image pixel. Additionally, the specific image range W₁ is updated according to the second row specific image pixel outside the range. The pixels in the updated specific image range of the next row are determined to be the specific image pixel while scanning the next row.

Take the embodiment shown in FIG. 4 for example, since the second row specific image pixels outside the range P₄₄, P₄₇, which are located outside the predetermined image range W₁, have brightness values larger than the threshold value 100, the second row specific image pixels outside the range P₄₄, P₄₇ are also determined to be specific image pixels and the specific image range W₁ is updated to be the specific image range W₂. The third row specific image pixels inside the range P₃₄-P₃₇, which are located inside the specific image range W₂ of the third row L₃, are determined to be the specific image pixels while scanning the third row L₃. Additionally, the pixels P₃₁-P₃₃, P₃₈ outside the specific image range W₂ of the third row L₃ are determined to check if they have brightness values larger than the threshold value. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, the brightness values of the pixels P₃₁-P₃₃, P₃₈ are not larger than 100, thus the specific image range W₂ is kept. The above-mentioned steps are performed while scanning the fourth row L₄, thus the pixels P₂₄-P₂₇ inside the specific image range W₂ are determined to be the specific image pixels and the specific image range W₂ is kept. The pixels P₁₄-P₁₇ inside the specific image range W₂ are determined to be the specific image pixels while scanning the fifth row L₅. However, the step for scanning this object and the step for updating the specific image range stop since no pixels in the fifth row L₅ have brightness values larger than the threshold value. The mechanism for stopping the scanning step and the updating step can be triggered via various kinds of methods. In one embodiment, if all pixels of a whole row, such as the above-mentioned fifth row L₅, have brightness values smaller than the threshold value, the scanning step and the updating step are stopped. In another embodiment, if all pixels in a specific image range of a row, such as the above-mentioned specific image range W₂ in the fifth row L₅, have brightness values smaller than the threshold value, the scanning step and the updating step are stopped. Furthermore, an image may include more than one objects, therefore the next object may be scanned and the above-mentioned steps are repeated if the scanning steps for one object has been stopped. Therefore, more than one object can be detected while scanning an image. For example, the objects can be distinguished from each other depending on space relations if two objects are on one row. For example, the scanning step of one object is stopped if all pixels of a whole row have brightness values smaller than the threshold value. However, the scanning step of the other object is stopped if all pixels in a specific image range of a row have brightness values smaller than the threshold value.

According to the second embodiment shown in FIG. 4, an image determining method shown in FIG. 5 can be acquired, which includes following steps:

Step 501

Scan pixels of at least one row in an image in turn, and determine which pixels in the row is larger than a threshold value.

Step 503

Determine at least one first row specific image pixel (such as P₅₅, P₅₆), which has a brightness value larger than a threshold value, in a first row (Such as L₁ in FIG. 4) to be the specific image pixel, and defines a specific image range such as W₁ according to the first row specific image pixel.

Step 505

Determine a second row specific image pixel inside the range (such as P₄₅, P₄₆), which is located in the specific image range of a second row (such as L₂ in FIG. 4) after the first row, to be the specific image pixel while scanning the second row.

Other detail steps can be acquired according to the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, thus it is omitted for brevity here.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating an object coordinate computing apparatus 601 utilizing the image determining method shown in FIG. 2 to FIG. 5. The coordinate computing apparatus 601 is included in a displacement detecting system 600. Please note the displacement detecting system 600 is only for example, the coordinate computing apparatus 601 can also be applied to other systems or apparatuses. As shown in FIG. 6, the displacement detecting system 600 includes an object coordinate computing apparatus 601 and a display 603. The display 603 includes a light source 605, and the object coordinate computing apparatus 601 includes a camera 607 and a reading circuit 608. The camera 607 catches an image, which is a gray level diagram, for at least one object (the light source 605 in this embodiment). The reading circuit 608 scans pixels of at least one row in an image in turn, and records brightness values and coordinates for the pixels. The reading circuit 608 can perform the first embodiment shown in FIG. 2 and the second embodiment shown in FIG. 4 to determine which pixels are object pixels (i.e. the specific image pixels). Then the reading circuit 608 utilizes the recorded brightness values and the recorded coordinate to compute a gravity center of the light source 605. For more detail, the reading circuit 608 utilizes the brightness of the object pixels as weighting, and computing the gravity center of the object via multiplying the weight and the coordinates of the object pixels. Additionally, the coordinate computing apparatus 601 can further include a processor (not illustrated) to compute a displacement between the object coordinate computing apparatus 601 and the display referring to the light source 605. The processor further controls a cursor Cr according to the displacement.

In view of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 3, and the displacement detecting system shown in FIG. 6, the following object coordinate computing method can be acquired: (a) determining which pixels in the image have brightness values larger than a threshold value; (b) determining the pixels having brightness values larger than the threshold value as the object pixels of the object (such as pixels P₂₆, P₃₅-P₃₆, P₄₄-P₄₇ and P₅₅-P₅₆); and (c) determining pixels in a predetermined range of at least one the object pixel as the object pixels as well; and (d) computing a coordinate of the object according to the determining result of the steps (b) and (c).

In view of the second embodiment shown in FIG. 5, and the displacement detecting system shown in FIG. 6, the following object coordinate computing method can be acquired: (a) scan pixels of at least one row in an image in turn, and determine which pixels in the row is larger than a threshold value; (b) determine at least one first row object pixel (such as P₅₅, P₅₆), which has a brightness value larger than a threshold value, in a first row (Such as L₁ in FIG. 4) to be the object pixel, and defines a object range such as W₁ according to the first row object pixel; (c) determine a second row object pixel inside the range (such as P₄₅, P₄₆), which is located in the object range of a second row (such as L₂ in FIG. 4) after the first row, to be the object pixel while scanning the second row; and (d) computing a coordinate of the object according to the determining result of the steps (b) and (c).

In view of above-mentioned embodiments, the present invention provides an image determining method for determining specific image pixels or object pixels, an object coordinate computing method and an object coordinate computing apparatus, according to brightness and parameters besides brightness. By this way, the prior art issue that only brightness is utilized for determining can be avoided. Besides, different conditions can be set based on different object types and the size for caught images, such that the determining mechanism can be more accurate and can be set unlimitedly. Furthermore, the gravity center of the object can be moved downward if the gravity center is computed according to the image determining mechanism of the present invention. By this way, the gravity center matches the habit for a user while handling a remote controller, such that the displacement detecting can be more accurate.

Those skilled in the art will readily observe that numerous modifications and alterations of the device and method may be made while retaining the teachings of the invention. Accordingly, the above disclosure should be construed as limited only by the metes and bounds of the appended claims. 

What is claimed is:
 1. An image determining method, for determining which pixels in an image are specific image pixels of a specific image, comprising: (a) determining which pixels in the image have brightness values larger than a threshold value; (b) determining the pixels having brightness values larger than the threshold value as the specific image pixels; and (c) determining pixels in a predetermined range of at least one the specific image pixel as the specific image pixels as well.
 2. The image determining method of claim 1, wherein the step (c) comprises utilizing each of the specific image pixel as a center pixel of a pixel matrix to generate at least one pixel matrix, and the step (c) further comprising determining each pixel in the pixel matrix as the specific image pixel.
 3. The image determining method of claim 1, wherein a length and a width of the pixel matrix have the same amounts for pixels.
 4. The image determining method of claim 1, wherein the specific image pixel is generated by an object, where the image determining method further comprises: (d) computing a coordinate of the object according to the determining result of the steps (b) and (c).
 5. The image determining method of claim 4, further comprising: utilizing brightness values of the specific image pixels as a weighting, and utilizing the coordinate of the specific image pixels and the weighting to compute a gravity center of the object.
 6. An image determining method, for determining which pixels in an image are specific image pixels of a specific image, comprising: (a) scanning pixels of at least one row in an image in turn, and determining which pixels in the row is larger than a threshold value; (b) determining at least one first row specific image pixel, which has a brightness value larger than a threshold value, in a first row to be the specific image pixel, and defines a specific image range according to the first row specific image pixel; and (c) determining a second row specific image pixel inside the range, which is located in the specific image range of a second row after the first row, to be the specific image pixel while scanning the second row.
 7. The image determining method of claim 6, further comprising: (d) determining if pixels of the second row outside the specific image range have brightness values larger than the threshold value; (e) if all the pixels of the second row outside the specific image range do not have brightness values larger than the threshold value, determining a third row specific image pixel inside the range, which is located in the specific image range of a third row after the second row, to be the specific image pixel while scanning the third row; and (f) if at least one second row specific image pixel outside the range, which is located outside the specific image range of the second row, has a brightness value larger than the threshold value, determining the second row specific image pixel outside the range to be the specific image pixel, and updating the specific image range according to the second row specific image pixel outside the range; and determining pixels in the updated specific image range of the third row to be the specific image pixel while scanning the third row.
 8. The image determining method of claim 6, wherein the step (b) comprising determining a leftmost pixel of the first row specific image pixel as a leftmost edge of the specific image range, and determining a rightmost pixel of the first row specific image pixel as a rightmost edge of the specific image range.
 9. The image determining method of claim 6, further comprising: stopping scanning the image and stop updating the specific image range if no pixel is found to have a brightness value greater than the threshold value after scanning any row after the first row.
 10. The image determining method of claim 6, wherein the specific image pixel is generated by an object, where the image determining method further comprises: (d) computing a coordinate of the object according to the determining result of the steps (b) and (c).
 11. The image determining method of claim 10, further comprising: utilizing brightness values of the specific image pixels as a weighting, and utilizing the coordinate of the specific image pixels and the weighting to compute a gravity center of the object.
 12. An object coordinate computing apparatus, comprising: a camera, for catching an image, which is a gray level diagram, for at least one object; a reading circuit, for scanning pixels of at least one row in an image in turn; for recoding brightness values and coordinates for the pixels; for defining an object range according to the brightness values and the coordinates for a first row of the rows; for determining first row object pixels in the object range of the first row to be the object pixels; and for determining a second row specific image pixel inside the range, which is inside the object range of a second row after the first row, to be the object pixel while scanning the second row; wherein the reading circuit utilizes the recorded brightness values and the recorded coordinate to compute a gravity center of the object.
 13. The object coordinate computing apparatus of claim 12, wherein the reading circuit determines a leftmost pixel of the first row object pixel as a leftmost edge of the object range, and determines a rightmost pixel of the first row object pixel as a rightmost edge of the object range.
 14. The object coordinate computing apparatus of claim 12, wherein the reading circuit determines if pixels of the second row outside the object range have brightness values larger than the threshold value; where the reading circuit determines a third row object pixel inside the range, which is located in the object range of a third row after the second row, to be the object pixel while scanning the third row if all the pixels in the second row outside the object range do not have brightness values larger than the threshold value; and if at least one second row object pixel outside the range, which is located outside the object range of the second row, has a brightness value larger than the threshold value, the reading circuit determines the second row object pixel outside the range to be the object pixel, updates the object range according to the second row object pixel outside the range, and determines pixels in the updated object range of the third row to be the object pixel while scanning the third row.
 15. The object coordinate computing apparatus of claim 12, wherein the reading circuit stops scanning the image and stop updating the object range, utilizes the brightness values recorded before stop scanning as weighting, and utilizes the coordinate recorded before stop scanning and the weighting to compute a gravity center of the object; if no pixel is found to have brightness values greater than the threshold value after scanning any row after the first row. 